Understanding and Promotion of Civic Behavior Among Students in the Light of Sīrah

Civic behavior reflects the values related to individual’s attitude towards family, peer group, and neighborhood and includes the way one behaves in the society and community as a whole. The purpose of the present study is to describe what civic behavior is, its characteristics, its status in the Hadith, and the way forward for improvement of the civic behavior as guided by Sīrah of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ). Study implies that truthfulness, mercifulness, polite talk, helping others, respect for others, caring and sharing and promise-keeping, loyalty, sympathy, honesty, kindness, brotherhood, cooperation, fairness and unity are the core qualities that make the individual a civilized and active citizen and our Holy Prophet (ﷺ) is the embodiment of all these virtues. Descriptive approach was followed to explain and analyze the concept. First the concept of civic behavior was interpreted, then its importance and characteristics were discussed. After that it was explored in the light of the teachings of the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). The findings highlight that the civic behavior in its best form was preached and practiced by the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) and his companions. Each dimension was interpreted in the light of the Quran and the Sīrah. It was concluded that Sīrah of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) is an immaculate source of guidance and inspiration for not only Muslims but also for the whole mankind in acquiring the core values and abilities that determine the Civic behavior of an individual which ultimately results into a well-organized, peaceful and civilized society The study suggests that civic behavior of the citizens has significant impact on the formation and development of a peaceful society. It is recommended that civic behavior as reflected in the life of and practiced by the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) should be promoted and practiced for achieving a civilized social setup.

Assessment of Genetic Diversity of Indigenous Rice Germplasm from Northern Pakistan

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of oldest domesticated specie and a major staple food of around 3 billion people in the world. An investigation to find out the genetic diversity among 113 cold tolerant rice accessions acquired from plant genetic resource institute (PGRI) origionally obtained from Northern Areas of Pakistan along with three check varieties (Super Basmati, IR6, and JP5) was conducted. Morpho-physiological data was recorded for 19 qualitative and 19 quantitative traits at different growth stages during the summer season 2014 at two locations. The data was analyzed by cluster analysis and principal component analyses (PCA). Results revealed significant level of variability for all the morphological traits. Maximum variation was observed in grain yield plant-1, (433.92 g) and plant height (311.28 cm). The accessions were grouped into seven clusters based on Euclidean dissimilarity index. PCA based on 19 quantitative traits showed that first five PCs accounted for 67.86% of the total variance, PCI explained 28.41%, PCII contributed 13.38% and PCIII accounted for 11.69% of total variation. Polymorphic genetic markers were also used to identify species relationship and to asses the degree of genetic diversity in the accessions. On the basis of absence and presence of 18 visible polypeptides, an electrophoretic profile was established for construction of dendrogram through UPGMA method. A significant amount of variation was revealed in Glutelin and Prolamin subunits, while low variation was observed in Albumin and Globulin subunits. It can be inferred from the present investigation that lower genetic diversity was xiv present in rice accessions based on total seed storage protein profile SDS-PAGE alone was found to be insufficient for reliable differentiation. High yielding 96 accessions were selected through morphological and biochemical characterization for the determination of allelic variability through microsatellite analysis using 36 SSR markers. An average of 3.5 alleles per locus were observed. Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) value with an average of 0.638 per locus was observed. From the results it is concluded that SSR markers were effective in detecting polymorphism in the accessions studied and other crops with high genetic similarity. Bacterial leaf blight is one of the most serious diseases of rice in world. For molecular characterization of these accessions against bacterial blight and fragrance, tightly linked STS markers were used to amplify the target fragment. Accessions were also analyzed for presence or absence of bacterial blight resistant genes (Xa4, xa5, xa13, Xa21 and fgr) through PCR amplification using STS primers. Out of 96 accessions 42 accessions were found to have Xa4 resistant gene, while 50 accessions were found to have xa13 resistant gene. Fifty two accessions were found to have xa5 resistant gene which is most prevalent gene in Northern areas germplasm, Xa21 resistance gene and fgr gene were found to be absent in the germplasm studied.